Be careful what you wish for!
by user DBachmozart Congratulations to those who saw a Dem takeover of Congress as the way to undo Bush/Cheney's war in Iraq, war on the Constitution and civil liberties, war on living standards and war on the environment. But as the ancient Chinese saying goes, be careful what you wish for - you may get it. Let's face it - the Dems don't stand for much in the way of political principle. They're too frightened by the right and the demagogy of "cut and run" to speak out strongly against the war and the phony "war on terror". People voted AGAINST Bush's party, not FOR the Dems. The Dems made a Faustian deal, running people from their right wing - people that would have been correctly labeled as Repubs 10 - 15 years ago. Winning elections was their priority, not building a movement. So these "blue dog" Joseph Lieberman/James Webb type Dems won, now what? These Democrats voted for the war in Iraq and the almost $400 BILLION from our taxes that has paid for it, tax cuts for the rich, an end to bankruptcy protection and NAFTA which continues to suck good paying jobs right out of the country. If Bush decides to attack Iran, they'll support him on that too. Of the newly elected Democrats, 18 to 20 are blue dog Democrats. Are these the people who will get us out of Iraq and keep us out of Iran? Are these the people who will stop giving Israel a blank check of support and will insist upon serious negotiations to provide some measure of justice for the Palestinians? Are these the people who will undo the Patriot Act and the evisceration of Habeas Corpus?("Liberals" like NJ's Lautenberg and Menendez both voted in favor). Are these the people who will take meaningful action against the corporate elite in terms of good and affordable health insurance, outsourcing, environmental cleanup/global warming, realistic college tuitions and a host of other issues that affect tens of millions of Americans? Just asking these questions answers them. I'm willing to give them some time to show what they will do, but if I'm right about them I hope that many of you who voted and supported the Dems with the best of intentions will NOT play the old con game of "well they can't move to the left too quickly because we want to win in 2008" and then "well we can't move too much to the left because we need to get re-elected in 2010" and then 2012, 2014.....ad nauseum! The rank and file of the DP is WAY to the left of the DLC leadership. If the ranks continue to roll over and play dead just to get some right wingers elected, there is no hope for the principles that we all hold dear. Dems who hate the idea of American Empire and unchecked corporate power will have a choice to make by the end of next year - continue to play lesser evil and watch the political dynamic continue to move rightward, or to build an alternative party that will fight for their vision of a better country, as the tired-of-compromising-over-slavery-left wing of the Whigs did when they bolted and formed the new anti expansion of slavery Republican Party in 1854. That act was like an earthquake that forever changed the political landscape in this country by forcing a realignment of all political forces. A left wing bolt from the Democratic Party would do likewise by creating a pole of positive attraction for ALL the forces in favor of progressive social change - anti war, civil liberties, women. communities of color, labor - both organized and unorganized, the environment, gay rights advocates, immigrant rights advocates, opponents of neo liberalism. We could be the new majority party without having to settle for Reaganites as our standard bearers. In the late 1920s, the German Social Democrats supported "lesser evil" liberals against the "greater evil" conservatives. Because of the social-economic crisis facing German capitalism where the Depression was much more severe than in the US, their ruling class was forced to resort to increasingly reactionary anti labor policies which had the support of a segment of the population. In response, the Social Dems supported yesterday's greater evil "conservatives" against the new greater evil "reactionarties". Finally, they supported the most recent "reactionary" greater evil - the militarist Hindenburg, against the Nazis. We know what happened after that. Dennis Brasky __NOEDITSECTION__ Category: Opinions Category: Democrat Opinions Category: November 12, 2006 Category: Opinions by User DBachmozart From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki. From The Opinion Wiki, a Wikia wiki.